Rusty Fly Fishing Charters is a private guide service for fishing the diverse waters around Nantucket for trophy striped bass, bluefish, bonito and false albacore. With fly rods and light tackle, we pursue these fish on Nantucket's sand flats, grass beds, rips and shoals, and off the pristine beaches of Tuckernuck and Muskeget Island.

Sight-Fishing the Flats is a specialty of the Rusty Fly, its shallow draft allowing it to go where other boats cannot. Striped Bass and other predators come up onto the tidal flats, hunting for sand eels, squid, crabs and other baitfish that have sought the seeming security of shallow water. In these conditions, game fish are extremely skittish and require a stealthy approach.

Engine off, we use a pole to push silently over the clear shallows. We stand on raised platforms, poised to spot the cruising game fish. You feel a rush of adrenaline when you first sight your target. The thrill grows as we close in and culminates with the satisfaction of a well placed cast and the gratifying splash of your fish greedily pouncing on the fly. Stalking and sight-casting to elusive and wary game fish is undoubtedly the quintessential angling experience.

Private Fishing Instruction is also available. This is the best way to learn the art of the fly cast. Captain Peter gives you his personal attention, whether you want to learn the fundamentals of the fly cast or the whole fly fishing arsenal: roll casting, the double haul, line mending, reading the currents, fishing tactics, locating and spotting fish, saltwater ecology, tying knots, or tying flys. Lessons are scheduled to accommodate your needs, from two hour courses to all day seminars.

Come Winter and Early Spring follow the Rusty Fly to Key West and the Marquesas. Here we pole the flats and search amongst the mangroves for bonefish, barracuda, sharks, and the elusive permit. We also work the channels, angling for jack crevalle, cobia, and every fisherman's dream, the giant tarpon.

Captain Peter Sheppard
Rusty Fly Fishing Charters
201 Madeket Road
Nantucket, MA 02554

cell: (508) 982-5398
tel : (508) 325-0593
fax: (508) 325-6755